Many people in Islington have been struggling through this winter, paying higher prices for basics like food and energy bills than they have in previous years. This is in addition to inflation being at the highest level in a generation with no sign of interest rates going down anytime soon either.

Islington’s Labour-run Council is on the side of local people through good times and bad. For those residents who are struggling with the ongoing cost of living crisis, we want you to know that there is help available.

The Council has one of the most generous resident support schemes in the country and is investing around £30 million into various schemes to support residents who are struggling the most to make ends meet. Here are a few of the ways your Labour-run Council is helping local people through the cost-of-living crisis:

• £30million cost of living package, comprised of different schemes and grants to help residents through the crisis
• Maximising income by offering a free benefit check service to help residents get what they’re entitled to – the Council helped local people access an extra £5 million last year
• 95% off Council Tax bills for 19,000 of our lowest-income, working-age households
• 34 Warm Community Spaces across the borough for residents who can’t afford to heat their own homes
• Protecting Free School Meals for all primary school children, saving families around £440 per child every year
• The council helped more than 26,500 of Islington’s most vulnerable households reduce their bills via its discretionary Council Tax rebate scheme
• Assisting parents with the cost of school uniforms
• Last year the Council quadrupled the size of the childcare bursary scheme from £40,000 to £160,000 – and we are protecting it for 2023/24
• In this year’s Budget, the Council announced a new £1 million Hardship Fund

Councillor Diarmaid Ward, Deputy Leader of Islington Council and Executive Member for Finance and Performance, said

“As a Labour administration here in Islington we are committed to helping people in whatever way we can but we need to be honest about the reality of the situation. The cost-of-living crisis has been a political choice by the Conservative Government.

“In the face of incredible financial pressure, we’re doing everything in our power to make Islington a more equal place, and to prioritise frontline services that people rely on”

“We are doing all this despite being forced to make more than £300 million of budget savings since 2010 due to Tory austerity. This is what our Labour council does for local people during a time of crisis. Whilst the Conservatives continue to tear themselves apart in Westminster and play politics with people’s lives, Islington Labour continues to stand up for, and protect, local people.”

If you need any extra support during this difficult time, please do not hesitate to contact Islington Council – either online, by phone or by email.

Phone: 020 7527 8222

Web: www.islington.gov.uk/costofliving

Email: heretohelp@islington.gov.uk​